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Hey, all you likeminded Chicagoans. Come to Intelligentsia Coffee (55 E. Randolph) at 8:00 AM tomorrow. It’s going to be awesome. I can’t think of any reason why you wouldn’t want to be there.
Here’s 5 reasons why you should come:
First there’s this, a short from San Francisco, where the topography is a canvas for BMX-inspired fixed-gear art. Via a comment on PSFK.
And then there’s this, from the UK. Again, pure cycling beauty. I wish I could do this. If you didn’t know, this is called “Trials” riding and this guy is Danny Macaskill. Sick.
Two VERY different examples of how cyclists express themselves.
I posted this on the 30th of June last year. And I want to get back to some of the ideas contained within:
“In the last few weeks I’ve been thinking quite a bit about what defines ‘cool’… I’ve discussed the topic with colleagues, friends and random people. While some say that cool is fleeting, I disagree. Hype is fleeting. Cool is permanent, generally not recognized by all, and tends to grow after the lifespan of a person/place/thing has been used up. It’s highly subjective, but I’m beginning to believe that there is universality in cool–even if someone disagrees with the ‘coolness’ of a person/place/thing, they probably know deep down that it is cool.
“Perhaps, though, cool is just a subsection of seduction. People/places/things use a variety of methods to seduce us into interacting with them in some way. Cool, in my mind, is just one of those methods. But, like my friend Andrea says, ‘seduction’ may be too simple a concept. The driving force behind truly great brands is something bigger:
“‘It is too simple to say that there is the ephemeral element of seduction in brands/ads. Some nuance that makes you want something you don’t particularly need/can’t afford/is unhealthy etc. I agree that we cannot name it—precisely why it can be so powerful.’ (AMF, email 6/29)
“Whoa. That’s a tough concept to mess with. How can you build, design or create the unnameable energy behind powerful brands? I think at this point we’re dealing with the notions of power and control, and the factors that contribute to their existence.”
And then I wrote this on the 18th of July:
“Power is the most fundamental part of human relationships. Platonic, romantic, sexual, political, cultural, economic, social and familial (did I miss any?) relationships are based in a simple exchange of power. One side has some, the other has less. This isn’t necessarily a recognized or intentional exchange, though it certainly can be. Nevertheless, it governs the relationship and gives it structure.
“Power is not so much invasive as it is pervasive. It’s everywhere, everything is affected by it, and it’s not going away. I had discussed with Russell Davies (and others) in comments following this post the importance of brands. Are brands important, just by their very being? No, certainly not. Most brands do not hold much cultural capital, do not have a spot in the minds, let alone the identities, of the public. Why? Because they fail to develop knowledge of their audience. Power comes from knowledge; Foucault would say they’re inextricably linked. The power of a charismatic person comes from their innate knowledge of how to manipulate people, how to look them in the eyes, how to empathize, how to really understand.
“Some brands have power. Brands as a whole (all the branded products/services in the world, taken collectively) have huge influence over people. Why else would we ‘trade up’? Why else would people aspire to buy better, nicer-looking things? Because they have power, there is power in association, there is power in social acceptance and power in cultural norms.
“We strive every day to create power in brands. More recently, we’ve been trying to develop better knowledge of how brands interact with people, how people can influence brands and be influenced by them. It’s the right track. But we need more. We need more discourse, more back-and-forth & give-and-take. See the example of the ‘American’ brand above. Certainly it has power, perhaps more than any brand in the world. But there’s tragedy in it as well, mostly due to a lack of understanding on the other side. It’s a bit big as an example, but it proves in some measure that two-way brand dialogue is a very real, very essential thing.”
But nobody was reading this blog back then, and I wanted to see if anyone out there thought any of these thoughts were interesting, worth thinking about, or what.
So let me know.
So… I just created a book of photos, ideas and some of my work to use as a resume.
Account Executives don’t usually have a book. But I’m not really a typical AE, as I’m sure you can tell if you’re a regular reader here. And I don’t like resumes, anyway. How could you possibly get your entire career, beliefs and feelings onto one page? Ha.
I would really appreciate your honest feedback about it. My mom HATES the image at the top of the post, and many of my friends have told me there’s too much BS in there and that I should get to the point. Johanna said she liked it though, so that’s a plus.
As a side note, I’m not really looking for a job, and am quite happy where I am. But I been wantin’ to make one of these for a while so I sat down with my three new buddies InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop and we had us a ball.
Look at my book by clicking here: Clay Parker Jones exitcreative resume. Enjoy, if you can.
My parents spent last weekend in the Bay. They live in Arcata, California (about 4 hours north of San Francisco) and being retired people, they enjoy a little trip now and then. They’re a little obsessed with bakeries and cafes at the moment, and they sampled the wares Caffe Trieste (my all-time favorite), the original Peet’s coffee location, the Noe Valley Bakery and Tartine Bakery in the Mission District. Trieste is something of a family icon for us; we always stop in when we’re in town. But I suspect Tartine is the place to be right now if you want a nice cup and an amazing pastry.
Moms had this to say on our family photoblog, Today In…:
Durry started eating before I could get back to the table with the coffee. Brioche Bread Pudding, a savory croissant, and a morning bun. We hope that owners of the Brio Cafe [Ed. note: Brio is a new cafe in Arcata] and Tartine are very good friends, because Brio is almost an exact copy of this amazing bakery. We have NEVER had pastries that were as perfect as these.
There is somewhat of a catch for those folks who don’t know exactly where they are going. There is NO sign on the building. NO SIGN. It’s painted dark green. Apparently a sign isn’t necessary. When we drove by on Sunday on our way to the Noe Valley Bakery there was a line out the door. On Monday morning there was a line, but we were able to get a table inside.
We talked after they ate about the popularity of the spot, the fact that they had no sign, and the amazing quality of their goods. Seems as though the proof is in the Brioche Pudding. But in addition, they’ve got a nice website:
And a nice presence on Google Maps, which is simply AMAZING me right now:
I love places that manage to be successful without spending a boatload of cash. Dynamic Micro Brands, right? If you’re a small business and you’re not on Google Maps with a nice set of photos and descriptions, do your part and figure out how to get on there. Or just keep making nice pastries and pay someone else to do it for you.